This invention relates to a tamperproof capsule dosage form for pharmaceutical preparations and more particularly to a hard gelatin capsule dosage form which will be destroyed if opened so that extraneous substances cannot be inserted in the opened capsule and the capsule then re-closed.
The art is replete with systems for locking capsules containing pharmaceutical preparations for oral administration. For example, sound waves have been used to lock together the two pieces of hard gelatin shell after the medicament has been enclosed within the capsule formed from the shells. In another system, the larger half of the two-piece capsule fits almost completely over the smaller half. In still another system, a gelatin band is applied to the filled capsule and fused to hold the two capsule pieces together. Such systems have been found to be lacking in adequate protection, however, since one or several capsules can be opened and the components used to encapsulate an extraneous substance in capsule components closely resembling the original medication.